Wilcox, Washington Hold Off Hartford

(1090 The Fan) — Washington held off a pesky Hartford squad to earn a 73-67 win, Sunday night at Alaska Airlines Arena.

C.J. Wilcox scored a game-high 23 points and Andrew Andrews had 19 points and five rebounds to carry Washington (8-5) to a win to end 2013.

The Huskies concluded their nonconference play with consecutive wins over mid-major squads, this one coming against Hartford, a team from the American East. With Pac-12 play beginning in four days, the Huskies are hoping they are mentally prepared for the challenges to come.

Sunday, the team got all it could handle from the Hawks after struggling to put away Mississippi Valley State, a team that lost to the Cougars by 37 points.

Washington, which has had its defensive struggles as of late, came up with a couple key stops in the final minute against the Hawks to secure this victory.

After Evan Cooper gave Hartford a 65-63 lead with 2:32 remaining, the Huskies were able to hold the Hawks scoreless for nearly two minutes while surging ahead with a Nigel Williams-Goss jumper and two free-throws from Andrews.